Dec 23, 2023     Week 33 - (30 hours)       Category: Fuselage

In spite of the holidays we had a good turn out this week and got a lot done. One major project was the installation of the new kevlar steering rod boots. The new frames and boots had to be match drilled to match the holes in the airframe. Sealant was then applied to the assembly and stainless screws and fiber lock nuts were used to secure everything together. Our new fiberglass wingtips arrived and Gerry supervised a test fitting and cut the holes for the tip light for the left wing. He also inspected the tinnerman nut plates on the wingtip and found several that were no good. He suggested replacing them with rivnuts and using machine screws instead of sheet metal screws to secure the tips. Since we are doing away with the vacuum system and installing some new instruments, it was decided to further disassemble the instrument panel. The yokes were removed, the panel taken out, and the individual instruments removed and cleaned. Most of them will be taken to the instrument shop in Lock Haven for inspection and, if needed, overhaul. The final task of the week was the installation of the engine mount. This proved to be not as simple as it looked. But with a little persuasion from a plastic mallet and various contortions, it finally fell into place. The only thing left is to properly torque the nuts. (All hardware used was new hardware per the parts manual.) In the middle of all this we were interrupted on Thursday by Erick Webb who came by with AOPA's Cessna 170B Sweepstakes airplane. We got a nice up-close look at this beautiful restoration that will soon be given away to some lucky pilot.

  Dec 02, 2023     Week 30 - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Work resumed this week on the Cessna. We decided that the insulating blanket on the interior of the firewall was in too bad a shape to save. Removing it involved removing the many things that secure it to the firewall. It took awhile, but in the end we managed to remove it mostly intact so we can use it as a template for the new one which is on order. While we were digging around up under the panel we also reinstalled the handles and removed the old encoder. Meanwhile, prep work was being done for the wings. The plan is to bring in each wing, do some more cleaning, and then install all of the bell cranks and the flap motor. This is in preparation for sending the wings to the paint shop. The bell cranks were located and primed. Everything to install them was identified and inventoried. Some new hardware will be ordered. As a side project, Tim has been working on the cowling which is in rough shape. He just finished essentially remaking a major section of the nose bowl.

  Nov 24, 2023     Week 29 - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

On Friday, exactly one year since we first acquired the Cessna, the fuselage returned from the paint shop looking like a brand new airplane. We carefully unloaded it from the trailer and moved it into the chapter hangar. Lots of work ahead yet, but seeing how good she looks with the new paint job gives us incentive to keep going.

  Jul 17, 2023     Week 28 - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Another project, an RV-12, demanded more attention than the Cessna this week, but one major step was accomplished. In earlier sessions we worked to get the fuselage ready for stripping at the paint shop. With those tasks completed, this week the Cessna headed out the door and onto a trailer for its trip to the paint shop in Pennsylvania. We're told that as soon as the shop gets another plane in for stripping, they will do both planes at once. The shop is busy, so we expect that to be sooner rather than later.

  Jun 10, 2023     Week 26 - (25 hours)       Category: Fuselage

A lot of different tasks were completed this week on the Cessna. The main project was removal of the steering rod boots and frames. It turns out the frames were riveted in with hard cherry max pulled rivets. They proved to be very difficult to drill out. It took a long time and lots of effort for Bob to finally get them free. Meanwhile, the frames that hold in the front and rear windows were cleaned and more pulleys were located and removed from under the floor of the fuselage. One set of small pulleys for the trim system were discovered to be far back in the tail cone. Luckily we always try to involve youth in our chapter projects. Our eleven year old member got in there and made short work of removing those pulleys. Since the doors will also need to go to the paint shop as part of the fuselage, we brought in the doors and inspected them. It was found that the window opening mechanism on both doors was worn to the point of not working. So Tim set to work fabricating a plate that will renew the track for the arm that holds the window open. The doors from the wrecked Cessna were also brought in and disassembled in order to scavenge parts that might be useful to restoring our doors.

  Jun 03, 2023     Week 25 - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

This week a lot of our time was taken with another club aircraft. But when we finally got back to the Cessna good progress was made. Remaining rivet pieces were drilled out of the rear window channel and that was cleaned up somewhat. Meanwhile, the front windscreen was taken out which, like the rear window, required removal of a couple of stubborn screws and drilling out lots of rivets. The fuselage is now closer to being ready for painting. The last major task will be removal of the steering rod boots and their frames.

  May 28, 2023     Week 24 - (12 hours)       Category: Fuselage

At our last business meeting it was decided to go ahead and have the Cessna painted even though it will stretch (break?) our budget somewhat. Since it is all apart, it is clearly the best time to do it if we're ever going to. Toward that end a number of things need to be done to prepare the fuselage before sending it to the paint shop. More antennas were removed. All the rivets holding the rear window were drilled out and screws removed, one of which was firmly rusted in place and had to be drilled out. Once all that was done the rear window came out revealing years of accumulated dust and dirt under the strips that hold the window. The rear window is going to be replaced. Yet to be removed are the front windshield and steering rod boots.

  May 13, 2023     Week 23 - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

A number of things saw progress on the Cessna this week. The remaining push-pull cables were installed. Some of the tiny screws that attach the cowl chafe seal were also located and installed. We still need to get metal lock nuts to permanently install them. The lower cowling was brought in for cleaning and inspection. There is quite a bit of fiberglass work that needs to be done at the front of the cowling where it forms a ring around the landing light. This is a weak area and has evidently been repaired before. In order to repair the fiberglass, a metal reinforcing plate and the metal mount for the light had to be drilled out. They proved to be difficult to get out, but were successfully removed in the end. Meanwhile, years of accumulated dirt and oily grime were cleaned from the cowl's interior. The old Loran antenna was removed. We need to figure out how to best cover the hole. Apparently, there is a plate made for this purpose, but it seems to only be sold in Europe. One of our members remembered that he had a complete set of wingtip position and strobe lights that he had taken out of his aircraft when he installed ADSB. He brought the set in and they appear to be perfect for the Cessna. That is one less expense for the project. The ongoing struggle to locate hardware also continued. The parts manual is very clear and detailed, but many part numbers for hardware are outdated and have been superseded by new numbers that are not always easy to track down.

  Apr 30, 2023     Week 22 - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

This week was basically a continuation of last week's projects. The forward cabin floor just aft of the firewall was black with a sticky thick layer of dirt and grime. It is not surprising given that this area is almost totally inaccessible when the rudder pedal assembly is in there. So probably we're dealing with an accumulation of dirt, hydraulic fluid, and whatnot since 1977. It took awhile, but with the help of our newly graduated A&P student we got it pretty well cleaned up. In the photos you can see a before and after view of the co-pilot's side floor. Meanwhile, work was supposed to continue on riveting the cowl chafe seal (deck guard) around the edge of the firewall. Unfortunately, the problem that came up earlier reoccured. The soft material of the seal compresses as the rivet is squeezed causing the rivet to deform or otherwise fail to set properly. When this seal was located in a salvage yard, it was attached to the wreck with screws instead of rivets. So now we are in the process of experimenting with attaching using tiny screws instead of rivets. Stay tuned.

  Apr 22, 2023     Week 21 - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Not a lot was done on the Cessna this week. The main gear wheels were cleaned and inspected. They both had tiny cracks where the bolts go through, so they were declared unusable. Wheels from the wreck were also inspected and found to have too much corrosion. So it looks like we're going to need new wheels and brakes. There has been much discussion of having the Cessna painted. If we go that route, that will change our plans regarding the order in which we do things. Painting is a lot cheaper with the airplane disassembled. The process of riveting in the cowl chafe seal around the firewall was begun. More cleaning of the floor just behind the firewall was also done. More yet to do. We had to stop work to begin setting up for the chapter picnic.

  Apr 16, 2023     Week 20 - (15 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Crawling down into the rudder area behind the firewall yielded two sets of pulleys for the trim system. They will need to be cleaned and inspected. Like everything in that area, they are very dirty. The new cable for the cabin air was permanently attached to the little door on the side of the fuselage. It actually works now. Meanwhile, cleaning continued. The parts washer was put to use cleaning main gear wheels. The new windshield that was purchased from a salvage yard was also carefully cleaned and inspected. It came out very nice and will replace our existing windshield.

  Apr 08, 2023     Week 19 - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

This week the rudder bar assembly finally came out. It was necessary to remove a central cover plate and attached springs before the bars could be removed. Then came the right master brake cylinder. The cylinder is held in by a single pin and cotter pin. The space for removing the cotter pin is very small and difficult to get to. It took awhile, but it finally came out. Both master cylinders will be inspected and overhauled. The landing gear parts and engine mount returned from the paint shop. Our nose wheel was cleaned and inspected by our A&P/IA. Unfortunately, it failed. We will need to get a replacement. Riveting the cowl chafe seal (AKA deck guard) turned out to be more of a project than expected. New aluminum backing strips were made to make a more flush and sturdy grip for the rivets. The battery box was mostly riveted back to the firewall. We need a few cherry max rivets to finish the job. The battery box cover was also refurbished. A new cable for the cabin air control was installed. Connecting it to the little door on the side of the fuselage proved to be something of a puzzle. Our experienced A&P/IA assisted in solving that. All of the pass-through openings in the firewall were identified and the new mixture control cable was installed.

  Apr 01, 2023     Week 18 - (25 hours)       Category: Fuselage

It was decided this week that the rudder assembly needed to come out. The second master brake cylinder is hard to get to otherwise and the area around the pedals is in great need of cleaning. Removing the pedals themselves proved not too difficult. But the connecting bars are another matter. They are held in by four sets of plastic bearings, each of which is held together with two bolts. The nuts are nearly impossible to get to with a wrench, so a little tool was fabricated out of sheet aluminum to hold the nut while the bolt was turned. Still, it wasn't easy. Although loose, the bars are still connected to other things that will need to be dealt with before they can be removed and cleaned. Meanwhile, lots of cleaning of parts continued. We were joined by some new members who eagerly attacked the grease and dirt. Some new parts also arrived this week. A fuse assembly that goes on the firewall was located in a salvage yard. It was tested and appears to be in better condition than our original one. Front and rear windshields were also obtained from the same salvage yard. They need to be cleaned and carefully inspected before we decide whether to replace out existing glass, which is not great, but is serviceable.

  Mar 25, 2023     Week 17 - (24 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Progress continued on the Cessna this week. Landing gear parts were delivered to the paint shop in Pennsylvania. We painted the firewall. Since the firewall is galvanized steel, it was necessary to prime it with an acrylic bonding primer. It was then top-coated with high temperature silver paint. Before painting, the ten rubber cowl fasteners were removed and found to be in pretty rough shape. Many, if not all of them will be replaced. The process of installing the new cowl chafe seal was begun. The seal is riveted between the forward fuselage edge and narrow aluminum strips. The assembly was clamped and clecoed in place. Next step will be to match drill the strips and then rivet. The nose wheel and its parts were cleaned using a parts washer. It all needs further inspection. It was decided that the master brake cylinders should probably be removed, inspected, and overhauled as necessary. This proved to be a fairly major task since the attaching hardware is deep behind the rudder pedal assembly. After some considerable effort, the left cylinder was removed. More work was also done sorting out and evaluating electrical components.

  Mar 18, 2023     Week 16 - (20 hours)       Category: Fuselage

As usual, cleaning continued this week. Once again, John did a great job, this time on the break assemblies. They were particularly dirty. Both appear to be serviceable. Floor pans were also cleaned. Stubborn glue residue along with dirt had to be removed from them. Small parts were also given attention, especially the many pulleys for the control system. (The photo shows a pulley before cleaning on the left and a cleaned pulley on the right.) Once cleaned, all the pulleys will need to be inspected by our A&P/IA. All of the hardware for the engine mount and landing gear came in. Our next step is to paint the firewall. A paint shop was found that agreed to paint the engine mount and landing gear parts. The parts will go to the shop next Wednesday. Kevin found himself in Dallas this week and went to a salvage yard. He managed to find the elusive cowl chafe seal we've been searching for. Meanwhile, Robert has taken charge of sorting out and testing the airplane's electrical components. It appears many will have to be replaced.

  Mar 11, 2023     Week 15 - (30 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaning continued this week. John did a remarkable job of cleaning the flap motor assembly which appears to be in good working condition. (It worked to lower the flaps when we first recovered the airplane.) The two shimmy dampeners were disassembled and inspected. One is from our airplane and the other is from the wreck that we bought. Which parts will end up being used is still to be determined. Work on the area behind the panel also continued. All of the major push-pull controls were removed and inspected. Unfortunately, it looks like almost all of them will need to be replaced for one reason or another. The cabin vent air door and cable were frozen in the open position. It took considerable time and effort to remove the cable and free up the door. We contacted a paint shop about getting the engine mount and landing gear parts painted, but haven't heard back yet. We also inventoried the new hardware needed to put the engine mount and gear back together and on the airplane. An order for that hardware will go out this week. Congratulations to Kevin and his wife on the arrival of their newly purchased 1974 Citabria. Work on our projects paused to admire the new addition.

  Mar 05, 2023     Week 14 - (30 hours)       Category: Fuselage

As usual, more cleaning continued this week. Floor pans were cleaned as well as the cabin spar carry-through tunnels where the wings attach. The tunnels will need to be inspected by our A&P/AI. More pulleys in the forward cabin were removed. The nose gear strut and torque link assembly got a lot of attention. They were cleaned and parts blasted with either fine glass or walnut shells. The strut was then primed. The main gear legs and engine mount were also blasted clean, but still need to be primed. The gascolator was again disassembled and inspected. A service letter (SEL-28-10) requires inspection of the bowl to determine if it is stamped with specific numbers. Any bowl with any of those numbers would need to be replaced. Our bowl had no numbers on it at all, so we believe our bowl is good. However, we will verify this with our A&P/AI. An overhaul kit was obtained for the gascolator and a couple of replacement parts for it will be ordered. Work also continued on the firewall area. Robert focused on sorting out and identifying all of the electrical wires that come through the firewall. Many of the parts, including the voltage regulator, some of the wiring, and maybe solenoids may need to be replaced. Meanwhile, on the other side of the firewall, Bob worked on removing the avionics trays in order to better get at cables behind the instrument panel. This turned out to be something of a project since many of the screws holding the trays in place were both frozen and hard to access. After much struggle, he got them out. With the trays removed, we got a clearer picture of what lies behind the panel and we were able to begin removing cables that go through the firewall.

  Feb 26, 2023     Week 13 - (30 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Continued steady progress this week, with most efforts focused on tasks necessary for getting the Cessna back on its gear. Toward that end the firewall got a lot of attention. The battery box was removed, which required drilling out a bunch of rivets. Cleaning the firewall required lots of time and elbow grease. Work also continued on cleaning the landing gear legs. We got an overhaul kit for the nose gear shock strut, but that hasn't been done yet. The avionics stack was removed, and more pulleys were extracted from the cabin area. All pulleys are being cleaned and inspected. Any found questionable will be replaced. We ordered all new cables. Our A&P/IA came by again on Saturday to inspect things and give advice. We have small holes on both sides of the horizontal stabilizer that we're not sure what to do with. The previous owner apparently fixed it with something like Bondo. Our A&P/IA inspected it and said he would research the proper repair for it.

  Feb 18, 2023     Week 12 - (40 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Steady progress on the Cessna continued this week. The process of cleaning the main landing gear legs was begun, which involves gently sanding off layers of dirt and built up residue to get them down to bare metal for inspection. In spite of all the Croil, the engine mount and nose gear leg still won't separate. Our A&P/IA, who visited again today, advised heat in the form of a welding torch may be the only way to free them. We were able to at least remove the inner nose gear assembly. Again, our A&P/IA helped with that and advised us to get a rebuild kit for the shock strut. Meanwhile, more cleaning and inspection continued. Landing gear fairings were cleaned. Some parts of them may need to be repaired or replaced. The gascolator and its related parts was disassembled and inspected. It turns out the gascolator from the wrecked 150 is a newer McFarlane model and is in better shape than our original, so we will replace our's with the salvaged McFarlane. We obtained a new rivet removal tool which was used to remove the small rivets along the upper firewall edge that hold in the cowl baffle seal. The seal is old and badly deteriorated and needs to be replaced. The fuselage skin where the wings attach had a lot of old tape residue which was cleaned off. The bare skin was then coated with Cortec primer for protection. The interior also got more cleaning and some inspection by our A&P/IA. A member's grandkids also came by to inspect our work and to try out the Cessna's controls.

  Feb 12, 2023     Week 11 - (40 hours)       Category: Fuselage

A lot was accomplished on the Cessna this week. Last week our A&P/AI told us we needed to remove the engine mount, nose gear, and main landing gear. This is necessary so that all of those components can be cleaned and thoroughly inspected, including the firewall itself. We began by removing accessories attached to the firewall. Meanwhile, Mark Gosselin used cardboard to make a template for constructing a cradle for the fuselage. Fairings for the main gear were then removed which involved the removal of many stubborn rusty screws. Brake lines were also drained. The brake fluid looked remarkably good, which gives us some hope the master cylinders are still in good shape. On Saturday, when we had more people to help, the main gear was carefully removed according to the directions in the maintenance manual. This was soon followed by removal of the engine mount and nose gear. The fuselage was then lowered onto the cradle. Wheels and brakes were removed from the landing gear legs and attempts were made to separate the engine mount from the nose gear. The roll pin connecting the two at the upper end was removed without too much trouble, but apparently time and rust seem to have welded them together. It was decided that patience and repeated applications of Croil will eventually convince them to part ways.

  Feb 04, 2023     Week 10 - (30 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaning and some disassembly of the fuselage continued this week. Both the cabin area and the tail cone got a lot of attention. Lots of accumulated grime was removed revealing structure that is in good overall condition. So far, the major issues with the plane, aside from a lack of logbooks, are dirt and rusty hardware. With some difficulty, the four block-bearings were removed from the cabin spar carry-throughs. This will enable better access for cleaning and inspection. Some work was also begun on and under the instrument panel. A homemade wood plate along the top edge of the panel was removed, revealing structure and the rearview mirror. Wheels, tires, and brakes recovered from the wrecked Cessna were disassembled and inspected. They will be compared to those on our plane and the best parts used. We got two visits from chapter A&P/IAs. We were able to ask lots of questions and get their approval for what we've done so far and what we intend to do going forward. One major topic that was discussed with them was how to get the airplane in good graces with the FAA since we don't have log books. It was decided that next week we will get in touch with the local FSDO office to find out what steps we need to take beyond what we're already doing. We paused work on the Cessna to greet Steve Gross who stopped by with his newly completed and painted RV-10. Congratulations Steve!